Rotary printing-press for printing from intaglio half-tone printing-plates.



H. A. W. WOOD.

ROTARY PRINTING PRESS FOR PRINTING PROM INTAGLIO HALF TONE PRINTINGPLATES.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 15, 1901. RENEWED JULY 8, 1909.

5 06 Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

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HENRY A WISE WOOD, OF YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOE TO CAMPBELL PRINTING ERESS &MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A 00 DEATION GE NEW YORK.

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Application filed November 15, 1901, Serial No. 82,436. Renewed July 8,1909. Serial No. 506,616.

To all whom it concern:

Be it'known that I HENRY A. Wren Wooo, a citizen [of the Umted States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a new and useful Rotary Printing-Press for Printing fromIntaglio Half Tone Printing Plates, of which the following is aspecification.

A new form of printing plate has recently come into use, WhlCh consistsof a half-tone printing plate, cut or etched in intaglio. So far as 1have been informed, all printing from a plate or plates of thischaracter has paper. The plate is then brought into 0011-. tact with anlmpression cylinder which carpreviously been done with the plate in aflat condition. This method of printing is slow.

The object of my present invention is to provide a rotary printingpress, adapted to print from a plate of the character referred to, atgreat speed.

To practice my invention, I curve the plate, and fasten it upon acylindrical platecarrier, and treat it in the following way The plate isinked by rubbing the ink into the intaglio portions thereof by inkingrollers, WhlCh are preferably covered with leather, and which are gearedto run faster or slower than the plate, and in'the same or an oppositedirection to slip thereon, so as to rub the ink into the plate. Afterthe late is inked, a blade, like a fountain-bla e, is

pressed against the same to scrape off all the surplus ink, and leaveonly the ink in intaglio lines. After this is done, the plate is movedinto contact with a polisher, which .removes the last traces of ink fromthe surface before it comesinto contact withthe ries the paper. B this'way of printing great speed is obtailied, and a better printmg effect,because the printing surface'will a be curved, and-therefore, thepressure of impression will be much greater. In most instances, Ico'ntem late using an additional scraper, set at di erent pressure, andmade of a different material. The first scraper is generally-made hardand is adjusted to take off the main body of the ink, while the sec-031d has, a gutta-percha or indurated fiber e e.

eferrin to the accompanying drawing forming p rt of this application, Ihave i shown enough of the principalparts of the which preferablyskilled in the art to construct a machine em bodying my present idea.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the principalparts of the mech anism, and Fig. 2 is a partial plan view showing thegearing.

Referring to the drawing and in detail, I designates an impressioncylinder, which has the usual grippers 9. Sheets are fed to the samefrom the feed-board F carried around on the said cylinder, and deliveredfrom the same by the fly D on to a suitable delivery board.

B represents the printing plate carrier,

is made of twice the diameter of the impression cylinder.

P designates the intaglio printin plate.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pafiugntedl Mam 1L5, 1193110). I

The printing plate carrier preferab y is cut away for about one-half ofits surface, as at B, and has its other surface made long enough tocarry and support the printingplate P.

By making the printing plate carrier B twice the size of the impressioncylinder I, and by cutting away one-half of its surface, an efficientform of machine is provided. The impression cylinder will make tworevolutions relatively to the printing plate carrier, one revolution toprint the sheet, and the other revolution to deliver the sheet.

By the cut away arrangement of the printing plate carrier, theimpression cylinder and printing plate carrier can be geared directlytogether, and cooperate properly without the application of any raisingand lowering mechanisms to the impression cylinder.

The printing-plate P is bent 1n any suitable manner, and is applied tocylinder B and held thereon by straining devices lO-lO arranged in gapsor depressions formed 1n said printing-plate-carrier B. Each of thesestraining devices conslsts'of an arm, or a series of arms arranged on ashaft supported in said carrier, each of said arms having jaws to graspthe end of the plate, and suitable screws to adjust said arms to holdthe.

printing-plate P tightly on the printing cylinder. j

- 11 designates the form inking rollers. Four are shown in the presentinstance as a v the arrangement just described is the pre desirablenumber. These inking rollers are preferably covered with leather. Thefour inking rollers are arranged in two sets of two each, as shown.(lo-acting with each 1s a distributing roller 12, and co-acting witheach distributing roller is an ink carrying roller 13, which carryingrollers bear on an ink-drum 14.

15 designates a ductor roll which is mounted in suitable arms 16, andactuated by any of the usual mechanisms to take ink from the fountain N,and lay the same on the ink-drum 14.

The printing late carrier B carries a gear 17 of a pitch ra ius equal tothe pitch ra 111s of the working surface of the printing plate P, whichgear meshes with a gear 18 carried by the impression cylinder I. Thegear 18 is of a pitch diameter equal to the diameter of the impressioncylinder. By this arrangement the peripheral speed of the printing platewill equal the peripheral speed of the impression cylinder, and theimpression cylinder I will make two revolutions for each revolution ofthe printing cylinder. The impression cylinder I will not contact withthe printing plate carrier B, except through the printing plate, onaccount of the cut away portion B of said cylinder. A gear 19 isarranged on said printing plate carrier B just inside the gear 17. Thisgear is made considerably smaller than the gear 17. Arranged on the forminking rollers 11 are gears 20 which mesh with said gear 19. The gears20 are considerably larger in diameter than the diameter of said forminking rollers 11, whereby said form inking rollers will have aperipheral speed considerably slower than the peripheral speed of theprinting plate, so as to have a wiping action thereon to force the inkinto the depressions of the printing plate. This wiping action may beobtained in other ways, as by driving the inking rollers in oppositionto the movement of the plate, or 1n any way toobtain a peripheral slipbetween the plate and the form inking rollers. But

ferred one, as it gives about the proper degree of slip necessary fornice half-tone work. Moreover, I regard this arrangement as far superiorto constructions in which the inking rollers are turned at greater speedthan the printing plate, because if such a construction should beadopted the tail of the plate or any high place in the plate which isfollowed by a de ression will receive a surplus amount of in which willbe due to the more rapid surface travel of the inking rollers, and thissurplus of ink which may be piled up, so to speak, on the tail of theplate or upon the high points of the plate Wlll be wasted as it will betaken off by the scrapers with no chance of being rubbed or worked intothe intaglio lines. Arranged on i said inking rollers 11 are gears 21 ofa pitch diameter equal to the diameter of said inking rollers, which aregeared by gears 22-232 1 on the distributers 12, carriers 18, and inkdrum 1 1, respectively, to drive the cluster of inking rolls at the sameperipheral speed.

S designates a suitable scraper. The same is preferably made of a steelblade secured to a cross-bar. Bearing on this blade are a number ofadjusting screws 25 by which said scraper can be adjusted to bear withany desired degree of pressure on the printing plate. 26 designates apot or receptacle, arranged in position to catch the ink scraped off ofthe printing plate by said scraper S.

I generally employ a second scraper having adjusting screws 27 and a pot28. This second scraper is generally made out of indurated fiber or hardrubber; the first scraper being used to take or? the main body of theink, and the second to go over the surface again with a more delicatepressure.

29 designates a roll arranged in such position that a blanket preferablymade of cheese-cloth or similar material will bear on the plate. Thisblanket is given a slow movement, and is wound back and forth bysuitable rollers 31 and 32, or any suitable mechanism. This blanket willact as a polisher, and will polish the plate, and will remove everytrace of ink therefrom, except from the intaglio lines or depressions.

The operation is apparent from the foregoing description.

As the printing plate carrier revolves, the ink will be-forced into thedepressions of the plate by the slip of the inking rollers thereon, thesurplus ink will be scraped oif, the plate polished, and the sheetprinted by contact of the plate with a sheet carried by the impressioncylinder.

Great speed can be obtained with this apparatus, and very fine printingeffects, due to the nicety of the inking, and a heavy impressionobtainable from a curved late.

Many other forms of apparatus may edevised by a skilled mechanlc withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, as ex- 115 pressed in theclaims. Havin thus fully described my invention, what I c aim and desireto secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device for printing from an in-120 taglio printing plate, the combination of an impression cylinder, acylindrical platecarrier cooperating therewith, devices for inkingtheplate, and two scrapers for removing the surplus ink, one scra er being125 made of hard material, and the ot er being made of soft material.

2. In a device for rintin -from an intaglio printing plate, t e comination of an impression cylinder, a cylindrical plate- 130 carriercooperating therewith, an inking my hand, in the presence of tWosubscribing apparatus for inking bthe platigltzivo scrzapeis, witnesses.one havin a hard earin a e an t 1e other a soft bearing blade torreinbving the WISE surplus ink, and a polisher for polishing theWitnesses: plate before impression. I SEYMOUR CONOVER,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JAs. H. CRAFT.

